Hmm, sounds like a Pennsylvanian thing, then.

I'm still trying to figure out the purpose of the notation in the book? If A1 loses one, they get a "free timeout" to look for it? How long do you look, 60 seconds? How many of these do you get a game? Charged? What if all the players say they have contacts and they all start losing em? Close game at the end, team's tired - TWEET, "lost my contact?" Bizarre! :eek:

Lately, I've had some coaches tell my partner and me that they have X number of players with contacts, they are marked in the book, and the lenses are at the table. I think the idea is that if a player loses one not that they get to look for it for 60 seconds or what have you (because even if they found it they couldn't put it back in their eye at the time anyway!), but that they can get a replacement from the table. By marking them ahead of time, you know if a player is telling the truth--I mean, if he puts a fresh lens in his eye, that has to count for something, right?

I will get some clarification from this from our local guys, though.

Rule 5-11-3 exception: "No time out is charged a. if in 5-8-3, the player's request results from displaced eyeglasses or lens."

As far as I can tell, that is the only place in the rule book, case book or mechanics manual that discusses this. I have worked with many partners, however, who insist we must have a "C" in the book next to a player that is wearing contacts. I don't do this and tell those partners there is no such rule requiring it. If a player says they lost a lens or I can see them fumbling trying to get a lens back in, they get to do it without getting a charged time out. That's what the rule says...and their word is good enough for me.

How long to wait? How long do you wait for an injured player? I wait until the lens is found or the player (or coach) decides it is time to move on. Contacts are (generally) not expensive any more, so losing a lens is not the big deal it once was.

I have only had this happen once. The girl lost her lense, but had it in her hand and was attempting to replace it. Ball is at her teams disposal after made basket and they just made throw in. I stop play, allow her to attempt to replace it for about 15-20 seconds, look at the coach (no motions or anything, just a look) she sends in a sub. We administer throw-in. In all about 30 secs was used. No biggie. Just used common sense.

Thank you. In Western PA, they have been noting with a "C" by the player's name if they wear contacts. This was probably some local directive way back when. When I heard the other refs insisting there was a penalty if there was no "C" in the book I had to find out for sure. Thanks for all the comments.

I have yet to see a PIAA district 9 team mark a single player's name in the scorebook with a "C." Certainly one or more student-athletes I have refereed by now must have been wearing contact lenses. Nor have I heard mention of such a requirement at any of our chapter meetings. It's got to be some sort of local thing to your area.

Also, I wear contact lenses. When I sign the book, should I put a "C" by my name? :p

And here I thought C was for "captain" :p I'm so glad I use this forum as a learning tool. ;)

{/sarcasm}

Dan:

Don't forget gas permeable lens.

MTD, Sr.

Can I have the last 2 minutes of my life back?

Them New Fangled Contact Lenses
 

At the beginning of my officiating career, in the early eighties, contact lenses were relatively new, and expensive, and were seldom used by basketball players. Back then, most contact lenses were the hard variety, and often fell out, especially during the contact in a basketball game. Back then most players with eyesight problems either wore glasses with straps, or prescription goggles. I don't think that it was in the mechanics manual, but we were taught to ask the captains, during our pregame meeting, who on their team was wearing contact lenses, and note it in the scorebook. If I recall, the reason was to prevent the coach from abusing the rules by having a player lie about losing a contact lens to gain an extra time out, for strategy, or just to get his, or her, players a little rest. Over the years contact lenses have become better, cheaper, and are being used more and more by athletes, so sometime, along the way, we have just stopped asking. Nobody ever told us to stop asking. We just did. I don't know of anyone our our local board of about 280 officials who asks anymore.